Addictions News Now Newsletter: Current Issue

Inaugural Edition, February 2008
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is pleased to bring you the inaugural edition of Addiction News Now. This monthly publication will keep you up to date on federal addiction policies, ground breaking research, and issues and events that are making headlines across the country. The National Council is committed to strengthening and expanding addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services nationwide and providing the information necessary to effect change on the local, state, and federal level.
From the halls of Congress to the Presidential race and beyond, we will be fighting to increase access to addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services by seeking additional federal funding, ending discriminatory practices that limit access to care, further developing the workforce, and diverting people from the criminal justice system who would be better served with community-based care.
The National Council applauds the effort of its members to implement innovative projects on the state and local level that expand addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery. We encourage you to share with us information about your organization's efforts in the local community and/or state. We look forward to partnering with each of you to translate your power and knowledge into change that matters.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please email me at AlexaE@thenationalcouncil.org or call 301.984.6200 ext. 243.
Alexa Eggleston, J.D.
Director of Public Policy
In This Issue
ON THE HILL
Outlook for 2nd session of 110th Congress
IN THE NEWS
Feds to track buprenorphine deaths
First cocaine, meth addictions fighter
Reducing drinking in ER patients
Utah initiative links addiction treatment and probation
EVENTS IN THE FIELD
Faces and Voices of Recovery teleconference series
SAMHSA awards for evidence-based interventions
New NIDA Networking Project website
38th National Council Conference
Outlook for the 2nd Session of the 110th Congress
The 110th Congress recently started its 2nd session, and our legislative priorities for the upcoming year are quickly taking shape, with national advocates seeking to move a range of unresolved issues from the last session to the forefront of a crowded agenda.
Senior Senate and House staff indicate that passage of the Mental Health and Addiction Parity bill (H.R.1424/S.558) remains a priority of the Congressional leadership; although H.R. 1424 has not been scheduled for a vote by the full House, sources indicate that a vote could occur end of February or mid-March.
On February 4th, President Bush issued the final budget request of his presidency for FY09. Proposed funding for programs in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources Services Administration would range from sizable cuts to small increases. The budget highlights several administration priorities for SAMHSA related to substance use disorder prevention and treatment, including $40 million for drug court services, $56 million to integrate screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment of drug abuse in emergency departments and other health care settings, and $98 million for the Access to Recovery program.
Under the President's proposal, SAMHSA would receive $3.025 billion, a cut of approximately $200 million from the FY08 funding level of $3.234 billion. The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block grant would receive an increase of $20 million, but the Programs of Regional and National Significance across the three SAMHSA Centers, CSAT, CSAP and CMHS, would receive a combined reduction of $250 million. Despite the trend to reduce spending in most SAMHSA programs, several programs within CMHS would receive small increases, including $12 million for the Children's Mental Health Grant and $6 million for the grants to states for Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness. The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Grant within the Department of Education, which funds critical school based prevention activities, has been targeted again for a significant reduction of $195 million from the FY08 budget level.
The research institutes, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism within the National Institutes of Health, would both receive small increases over their FY08 budgets. With significant cuts to many critical programs, we will be urging members of Congress to make funding for mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, research and recovery a top priority in restoring budget cuts and allocating additional funding.
Other issues of interest to the addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery field, but lower on the bipartisan radar screen of House and Senate staff include reauthorization of SAMHSA, final passage of the Second Chance Act Reentry bill (H.R. 1593/S.1060), and the NIDA and NIAAA Name Redesignation Act (H.R. 1348/S.1011). Hill staff also indicate that there may be movement on legislation to improve treatment services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system through reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act and to authorize additional addiction prevention, treatment, and workforce development programs under the auspices of SAMHSA and the Department of Justice.
The National Council will continue to provide updates on the federal budget process, including reporting out on the programs that fund alcohol and drug addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and research.
SAMHSA Reauthorization Update
After months of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee staff deliberation and meetings with advocacy groups, a draft bill was released in early December to reauthorize SAMHSA. Although there was initially an indication that a hearing would be held to mark-up (review) the bill during the first week in February, it appears the hearing has been postponed while the Senate HELP Committee resolves language addressing the "Charitable Choice" regulations enacted in 2000 as part of SAMHSA reauthorization. According to SAMHSA, the "Charitable Choice" provisions ensure that religious organizations are able to compete on an equal footing for federal substance abuse funding administered by SAMHSA, without impairing the religious character of such organizations and without diminishing the religious freedom of SAMHSA beneficiaries. These provisions apply to recipients of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funds, the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness formula grant funds, and to SAMHSA discretionary grant funds for substance abuse prevention and treatment services. A coalition of religious, civil rights, educational, women's, advocacy, and other organizations are urging members of Congress to enact changes to the "charitable choice" provisions in current law before the bill moves forward. The National Council will continue to monitor developments related to this issue.
IN THE NEWS
EVENTS IN THE FIELD
New NIDA Website to Facilitate Information-Sharing and Collaboration
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced the availability of a new website designed to encourage drug abuse researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to share information across disciplines, networks and institutions. The NIDA Networking Project website provides access to the locations, people, and resources of NIDA-sponsored research networks, including, for example, the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network and the NIDA Genetics Consortium. The goal is to encourage cooperative scientific discussion and research collaboration to accelerate addiction science. Information on the site includes an NNP Colleagues Directory, a searchable data base of network participants' expertise and research interests.












